Intruder shot during robbery attempt at Lake Stevens-area home

LAKE STEVENS – Gunfire broke out during an apparent attempted robbery near Lake Stevens Tuesday night, leaving one man shot and at least one other in need of medical help.

Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were summoned about 6 p.m. to the 7000 block of 126th Drive NE, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. They were told that the homeowner and a friend had been working on a car in the garage when two other men came in with guns and their faces covered, intending to rob them.

During the commotion, the homeowner’s friend reportedly retrieved a gun from a vehicle and shot one of the robbery suspects, Ireton said. The other robbery suspect ran away and had not been located as of 9 p.m.

The man who was shot is in his early 40s and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in serious condition. The homeowner, who’s in his 30s, was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation. The homeowner’s friend also is believed to be in his 30s. No information was available about the second robbery suspect.

The road near the shooting location remained closed late Tuesday evening, but police were letting people back into their homes, Ireton said. Police were expected to remain on scene well into the night.

The investigation was just getting under way, but police don’t believe the homeowner or his friend knew the intruders, Ireton said.

“At this point, we don’t believe so, but there’s a lot the detectives are still trying to figure out,” she said.